Run to your dreaming when you're alone..."
by Ayesha
Summary: The first chapter to Jemima's Tales...


"Run to your dreaming when you're alone..."  
  
by Ayesha  
  
...she trotted off, headed toward her own secluded area. She always had the nack for making it appear as though her mood never changed. She always appeared aloof, almost carefree (but not in the happy-go-lucky, goofy sense of the word). She liked that. She wouldn't like it at all if the others could always read her as she reads them. Not that they'd ever take the time to learnhow to do that, she didn't think...  
  
...she attempted to focus on the present. She crossed the city, its dank, moist, almost sickingly alive streets aggrivating her...even during the twilight hours. To remedy this, she climed up the side of one of the quaint houses, bounding from windowsill to windowsill, she wasn't still a helpless kitten after all...or at least she didn't like to think of herself that way. She reached the roof tops. This, now, this...being high above everything else...everyone else. Here...she was always at peace. She liked looking at the moon, the stars, anything and everything that would help her thoughts to stray from the present. She knew most other cats didn't notice the fact that these ihumans/i were ruining the earth that she (and they) so dearly loved. She felt very saddened by the fact that she must climb high above it all, and block it all out to see the true beauty of the world. She wondered often why the Jellicles lived in a human wastepit. Not that the trash bothered her really...not physically anyway. Actually, she was quite fond of the games played there...they'd made trains and numerous other entertaining things out of the trash. No, it wasn't the physical aspect that bothered her. It was the long-term meaning of it all.   
  
Little, petty things like this upset her. Well, that's what the others said. That these things were petty...not important becuase they didn't really affect the Jellicles directly. Well, obviously these things affected her. They'd never understand...not unless they actually cared to have a serious conversation with her. And even then...would she trust anyone to open hersef up to them...?  
  
Her rapt thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she sensed that someone was watching her. She wondered how anyone would find her here. This was HER place. Ah well, she thought, cats go where they please...I haven't marked this place or anything like some crazed male, or anything... Still, she liked her privacy. And, being somewhat annoyed yet, somewhat playful at the same time, she decided to give this intruder a challenge. If they were truly there to watch her, let them see if they can follow her. If not, well, then she'll know that she was only flattering herself, as usual, and she'll have fun anyway.  
  
She smiled softly to herself before setting off on her normal path. She did this often...running over the rooftops, feeling the breeze through her soft fur of her face...this way, the rooftops weren't as hot and muggy as the streets below...she never had a chance to really feel them anyway at this remarkable speed...that's why she did it. It was an escape from reality, and besides several small stumbles and falls in the begining from which she recovered rapidly, she performed this feat with incredible ease.   
  
This time, however, her usual carefree spirit was interrupted by that vague sense of someone else. It wasn't a bad feeling at all. All she felt was HIS presence. He was definitely male. (It was completely obvious by, not only the lack of stumbling or faltering, but by simply a differnt "aura" about adult toms that most queens, besides queens like Bombaluria, didn't have: complete confidence.) She was somewhat intimidated and completely embarrassed at this. A TOM was following her. And not only that, but he was having no trouble with this obstacle course she had faltered with for months. She was also flattered because it seemed that this male was not a stranger. She had just realized that this male was from the tribe.   
  
She smiled to herself as she reached the end of her course and jumped daintly into a tree. She climbed up to the top to look down at her follower. As she moved to peer out, she was met by a beautiful pair of gleaming green eyes. She caught her breath. Who was this? Her skin under her fur flushed crimson. Why was she feeling like this??   
  
"Jemima, now you know you shouldn'y be out and about, cavorting around near the forrest AND outside the Junkyard this close to nighttime." It was the soft, melodious voice of Munkustrap, the Kittensitter (she had thus dubbed him because he always had the ability to catch her at any "naughty" act). Her eyes lowered instinctively, not only because her sacred hiding spot had been discovered, but because she actually thought a tom had been admiring her.  
  
A single tear escaped her. "Yessir. But, this is the one place I can always come to for SANCTUARY! No matter where I go in the Junkyard, one of the others ALWAYS manages to find me!" She leaped forward to meet him. She nuzzled his shoulder affectionately upon greeting, as she usually does, then plopped down beside him, resting her head on her paws, making sure not to face him.  
  
"Sanctuary? Why on earth do you need sanctuary? Is your life that hard already, Jemima?" She sat down infront of her and licked her forehead softly.  
  
"Well, no...well, kinda!....sometimes!" She never was one for words unless she was with Old Deuteronomy. When she was with anyone else she was always afraid she'd mess up or actually sound intelligent and then they'd just make fun of her anyway. She sighed softly.  
  
Munkustrap didn't exactly know what to do. "Jem, do you always do this? Come out her alone? You know there are some terrible things outside the Junkyard just waiting for a little, innocent kitten to stray away from it's protection." After several moments without a response he nudged her gently.  
  
"Well maybe I don't want any PROTECTION from the JUNKYARD anymore!" And with that she was up and running. She leaped into the tree and kept running. From tree to tree and then quickly to the ground where she'd obviously gain more of an advantage.  
  
Munkustrap waited several seconds before bounding after her. It took a minute for this to sink in. Not that he was mentally slow by any means, but that this was unlike Jemima. He lept after her followed her once more. Only this time it was much harder for him to follow her. She was lightning quick now that she was on the groung and didn't have gaps between buildings and trees to avoid.  
  
"Jemima! Stop! Let's just talk! Tell me what's wrong!" He shouted after her. He didn't understand. And in way, he knew that would never get her to stop.  
  
"No!" She yelled, her beautiful voice twisting into a labyrinth of riddles, only helping to personify her words. "All you'll do is try to understand and end up lecturing me on what's right and what's wrong within our measly little Tribe!" She slid to a hault. So fast, in fact that Munkustrap almost ran into her.   
  
"Tell Papa where I've gone. He'll understand. Now, leave me be. I'm NOT as innocent and dumb as you may think and if I make a mistake, then let me fix it for myself!" She dashed off again, hoping this time that he wouldn't follow her.  
  
And he didn't, he only sat there and watched her, completely dumbfounded and hurt by her words. It struck him to the bone that she could muster up enough anger to take a stab at one of his faults...his endless lectures. He'd heard others talking about him like this but he never knew they were serious. But now he was only being selfish. What was he going to do now? How would he tell Old Deuteronomy that he let Jemima go off into the woods by herself...? 


End file.
